Night

WASHINGTON -- In the 12 months we have to steel ourselves for the next State of the Union spectacle, let us count the ways that this spawn of democratic Caesarism -- presidency-worship -- has become grotesque. It would be the most embarrassing ceremony in the nation's civic liturgy were the nation still capable of being embarrassed by its puerile faith in presidential magic. The Constitution laconically requires only that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.

Cocktail shake-ups Ever hear that old saw about bad news coming in threes? It held true the week of Aug. 1, when word about some major bar closings spread quickly: First, a trio of downtown mainstays (Bar BQ Bar, Eye Spy and Sky Sixty), then Roxy nightclub, and finally the Milk District's RBARR. Luckily, reports were premature on most of those. While the future is still in flux for Bar BQ Bar and company, the bars' new owners at The Beacham and The Social say they plan to keep all three open in some form after the original owner's lease ends on Aug. 31. And RBARR's closing will be especially short-lived: This weekend the gay nightclub reopens as Southern Nights, the bar that entertained clubgoers for years at the same location at 375 S. Bumby Ave., Orlando.

The Florida Highway Patrol is cracking down on unsafe and impaired drivers. Troopers will be stopping drivers on Friday night as part of a safety and sobriety checkpoint. The exercise begins about 9 p.m. near the patrol's South Semoran Boulevard headquarters. Drivers in the area should expect delays.

In an effort to pick up more riders at the massive Orlando Health and Florida Hospital campuses, SunRail's last train during the evening peak hours will run 15 minutes later. Starting Aug. 25, the northbound 7:22 p.m. train at Orlando Health will come by at 7:37 p.m., and the 7:34 p.m. train will roll in at Florida Hospital at 7:49 p.m. SunRail officials figure the later times will be more convenient for nurses and other personnel who work 12-hour shifts that start at 7 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. Nurses, in particular, are hard-pressed to catch the evening train because they often spend a half-hour or so "handing off" patient information to the night shift, hospital officials say. Austin Beeghly, an EMT who works at Orlando Health, said the extra 15 minutes "is a step in the right direction.

An elderly man who crashed his Jeep spent all night in the water in Brevard County's Lake Washington, floridatoday.com reports. A duck hunter found the man, who was confused and could not provide his full name, on Thursday morning. To read the story, go to floridatoday.com .

After a year of renovations, Chakra Ultra Lounge will have its grand opening on Saturday night at 10 p.m. Formerly Pounders, over by UCF, the club will be open seven days a week from 10 p.m. ? 2 a.m. It's $15 at the door and there will be live performances by N.O.R.E., Ja Rule and others. Chakra is at 10028 University Blvd. in Orlando; call 321-442-0840 or go to chakraultralounge.com

Those of you who cut your nightlife teeth at a wonderful club called Visage should be at Lyrica in downtown Orlando tomorrow night. The Visage Reunion Party 2010 will be taking place from 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Original owner Jim Quance will be there along with original DJ Paul Vaine who will be spinning all alternative ‘80s and ‘90s all night. Front 242 ? Check. The Smiths ? Check. Violent Femmes ? Check. You get the point. Lyrica, is formerly Cairo which was formerly Rennaisance in downtown Orlando.

Central Florida law enforcement agencies are joining national police departments in celebrating the National Night Out, "America's Night Out Against Crime. Law enforcement teams up with residents, civic and neighborhood groups and businesses to raise awareness about crime and drugs. The event is tonight. Times vary by community. Among the Orange County neighborhoods that will participate are South Apopka, Avalon Park, Pine Hills, Hunter's Creek and Bay Lakes. Sheriff Jerry Demings will attend at Lake Conway Woods.

There was no jackpot winner in Powerball Wednesday night, so the estimated jackpot for Saturday night is $310 million. That is the highest jackpot since the Florida Lottery joined the game more than two years ago. And if you take a one-time, lump-sum payment, it is estimated at an incredible $193.4 million. Several people in Florida won $10,000 Wednesday night by matching four numbers and the Powerball. The numbers were 17 - 28 - 38 - 39 - 51 and the Powerball was 33.

"Saturday Night Live" last night drew some of its best material from the news. The show opened by spoofing President Barack Obama's trip to Asia. "Weekend Update" presented George W. Bush and Kanye West as good friends. "Update" anchor Seth Meyers delivered sharp jokes about John and Cindy McCain, the Dallas Cowboys, Rhode Island and the Florida woman accused of trying to sell her grandson for $30,000. Authorities say the Volusia woman and her boyfriend last week sold the child in a Daytona Beach parking lot. Meyers quipped, "Florida -- where grandmas have boyfriends.

The killing of a cat has prompted one resident of College Park to issue a warning to her neighbors, that coyotes are prowling the streets at night. Harriet Duncan said her cat Marrakesh was killed by a coyote on July 30 on Stetson Street, and she has since put up “Coyote Alert” flyers in the area, warning residents in the flyer that “Coyotes have been seen in College Park. They are killing our pets.” She recommends that they keep their pets indoors during the night, and not leave any pet food outside that might attract coyotes.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tiger Woods . Famed 19th-century sportswriter Henry W. Longfellow must have been thinking ahead about them when he wrote: "Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence. " Sportswriters were a lot brighter back then. (He wasn't really a sportswriter but, then, some folks say the same thing about me.)

Sgt. Scott Smith was fully decked out in the kind of gear that SWAT team members wear, but on this occasion there was no crisis or emergency for the Orlando Police Department officer to respond to. In fact, Smith was expecting a very different kind of evening - with kids asking plenty of questions about what he did, and how he used all that exciting-looking equipment. “I expect to just answer questions about the police in general,” he said, as he entered the College Park Community Center. At the same time, Smith brought along a friend, and he was ready to concede that his co-worker might very well upstage him a bit. As a member of OPD's K9 unit, Smith had driven over to the Community Center with Sabre, a three-year-old K9 team member.

You can't keep a good Orlando Fringe Festival show down in this town. The latest from the 2014 fest to get an encore is Sara Jones' entertaining cabaret, "Big In Winter Park. " Jones, a veteran Central Florida performer, performs with vivacious style and good-natured fun. As reviewer Jim Abbott wrote about her Fringe show: "The stories and songs about the evolution of her career and her personal relationships are delivered with a winning sense of humor. " Chris Leavy, her musical director, will accompany on the keys.

Now through Saturday, Aug. 16, the Orlando Science Center will be open until 9 p.m. as part of the center's special program to remain open late on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer. That includes the laser light shows in the Dr. Phillips CineDome, which can be experienced at 9 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Launched in June, the later summer nights program was designed to let guests have more time to immerse themselves in the laser light show, check out moons and planets in the Crosby Observatory, or test their athletic abilities in OSC's “Sportsology” traveling exhibit, which explores the science of sports.

Crime prevention - and fun - will be the focus Tuesday as the Clermont and Lady Lake police departments celebrate National Night Out, a movement across the country aimed at making communities safer. Here are the details: •Clermont's free, family event is set for 5 to 8 p.m. at Waterfront Park on Lake Minneola. Those attending can meet police officers, firefighters and paramedics and get a close look at law-enforcement, emergency vehicles and a helicopter on display. Other highlights include free food from 16 vendors, bounce houses for the younger set, Star Wars characters plus K-9 and fire-safety demonstrations.

A Christmas Day free-gas giveaway was so mobbed that workers had to issue vouchers to the first 100 people, WTFV.com is reporting. Drivers began lining up last night at the Shell station at Hiawassee and Silver Star roads to receive the free gas offered by Kingdom Church. By this morning, a line of cars had wrapped around the shopping center, the website said. To read the entire story, click here .

The Rosen Shingle Creek hotel has a buy one night get one night free Cyber Monday deal going on until 11:59 p.m. tonight. This limited-time offer allows travelers to buy one room night and get one room night free when they book a vacation on Cyber Monday for travel any time between Nov. 28, 2011 and June 30, 2012. The offer is valid for any length of stay; for example, guests staying for six nights would receive nights two, four and six for free. Room rates vary depending on time of year. To book the “Buy Cyber Monday… Vacation Any Day” package, visit: www.rosenshinglecreek/cybermonday . This offer is not valid for group meetings, citywides or other special event business and may not be combined with any other promotions offers or discounts. Room nights are subject to availability; black out dates apply.

DRIP-ping culture There aren't many attractions on International Drive giving props to local artists, but DRIP is stepping up to the plate. Small wonder: Jessica Mariko's sand- and paint-flinging dancers were staging one-off shows of their messy brand of performance art at venues such as the former Cameo Theater long before they opened a permanent location on I-Drive. Now they'll be giving back with a monthly Local Art Night. The casual show will feature works by 12 local visual artists and a different musician each month, and for $5 admission, it's a cheap way to get an advance look at DRIP's digs.